City Kaufhof Kaufhof: Bremen city center is faced with great change!

City Kaufhof Kaufhof: Bremen city center is faced with great change!

A dramatic change in downtown Bremen! The city of Bremen has now acquired the former Kaufhof building, a step that could end the years of blockade at this central point. The purchase that came about, according to the Weser-Kurier, brings a breath of fresh air to the plans around the previous parking garage. But the joy could only be short -lived, because the citizens have to prepare for a long large construction site!

The Kaufhof building, which is over 50 years old and was once owned by the Branicks Group, is now used by the city. Kurt Zech, who tried to buy the building five years ago, failed due to the high price performances of the Frankfurter. While DIC asked 56 million euros, Zech was only ready to pay 34 million euros. Now the city of Bremen has been awarded the contract and only pays a little more than Zech’s limit. The Brestadt urban development company will head the project and has provided 300 million euros from the Senate to redesign the city center.

Future of the Kaufhof property still unclear

What will happen to the Kaufhof building remains uncertain. It could be gutted or even torn down except for the skeleton. The building is currently mainly used by Saturn, while the furniture retailer Opti has only recently moved out. The Mitte car park, which offers around 1000 parking spaces, is definitely being demolished. This decision was made when Zech was still in the game, but the municipal parking garage company Brepark did not originally plan to give up the parking garage. An architecture competition for the new building on the area has already taken place, and the jury has selected two winning designs that now have to be further developed. The realization of the new project is expected at the earliest for 2028.

An important aspect of the new building will be the creation of living space to revitalize the city center. The Bremen University has already moved some of its premises to the former Landesbank building, which offers around 1,500 students and 150 employees new perspectives. The C&A building opposite the Kaufhof is also being rebuilt to create a mix of living, retail and offices. So the city center of Bremen is faced with a huge change!